While life on a submarine may not be the most physically strenuous in the military, the mental challenges are arguably the most testing.
The new boats will be built as part of the AUKUS programme – the strategic defence and security partnership between the UK, US and Australia – which was announced in September 2021.
But it is not the only element of silence endured by personnel on board.
“Life on a submarine is not for everyone,” the retired Commander added. “While the training is intense, you do not know if life on a boat is for you until you first spend months under the water.” James, who retired in the early 2000s, requested to keep his identity secret as he carried out his deployments for more than 20 years.
At 97m long, an Astute class submarine may look enormous, but the 98 crew have to live alongside a nuclear reactor, Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes, the Sonar suite and the kit that makes up the command and control system.
Sir Keir Starmer aboard a Vanguard class submarine off the coast of Scotland (Photo: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street)
But it is the isolation from the world that can bite even the toughest of people.
Despite the additional training submarine recruits are put through, nothing prepares them for life at the depths of the ocean. James could be submerged on board a Trafalgar for up to 70 days, while the Astute-class boats can remain submerged for up to 90 days. The record patrol for a Trident nuclear missile-carrying Vanguard is a gruelling 204 days.
Missing family milestones
Life on board an Astute Class submarine can mean crew members miss family milestones (Photo: Ministry of Defence)If the tight living and working conditions do not get to you, the isolation from the world might. During a patrol, the only signs of life crew encounter are fish, whales and other ships picked up on sonar systems as they track a careful course to avoid enemy vessels.
Crew can sometimes only learn of a family bereavement, relationship breakdowns and children’s milestones after they resurface and disembark – which could be months later.
“I did later discover that a couple of things had happened when I got back, which I would have worried about had I known.
The Navy has reportedly faced recruitment and retention problems, and the service has even taken to LinkedIn previously to advertise senior roles.
“Manpower across the armed forces, particularly the technical branches, has been run down to such an extent that it’s not quite clear to me how the regeneration of the number of people required is going to be done.”
“That could present something of a snag.”
Lack of recognition
“I don’t believe the public has much consciousness of what a submariner does,” James said. “These boats have a nuclear generator on board and it takes longer to train a nuclear chief of the watch than does a brain surgeon. Right through the boat there are highly trained individuals, but very few people know that or the crucial role they play.
To prove his points, the scenes of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and Invincible leaving for the Falkland Islands to repel the Argentinians in 1982 is, for those old enough, a vivid memory.
Crowds on the dockside as Royal Navy light aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, accompanied by a flotilla of small boats that greeted her as she sailed into Portsmouth Harbour in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, 17 September 1982. (Photo: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty)
Sparten played a significant role in the conflict, particularly in enforcing a 200-mile maritime exclusion zone and providing reconnaissance of Argentine naval and air activity.
“We know the role we play,” said James. “If you want to be in the armed forces to be celebrated by the public, then submarines are not for you.”
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